


So It Goes

by titaniumsansa



Series: Sunkelles Birthday Extravaganza 2017 [5]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, Gay, High School, Light Angst, Older Mabel Pines, Older Pacifica Northwest, Older Pines Twins, Pacifica Northwest/Mabel Pines-centric, Universe Alteration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-10-21 09:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10682277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/pseuds/titaniumsansa
Summary: At the end of junior year, Pacifica reaches out to Mabel to apologize. Mabel tells her they're coming back to Gravity Falls for the entire summer, which makes Pacifica's life a little harder. Slowburn.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunkelles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Forest Full of Pines](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4958854) by [sunkelles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles). 



“It’s Pacifica,” he said one day and Mabel shrugged.

“Everybody should have a second chance, Dipper,” she had reminded him.

“Yeah, but not everyone deserves one,” he had retorted. Mabel shook her head at him.

* * *

 

_ Wait you’re coming back to Gravity Falls? For the summer? _ The message from Pacifica pops up and Mabel smiles as she responds.

_ Yeah, Dipper and I want to see Grunkle Stan and the rest of Gravity Falls.  _ Mabel sends the message, Dipper’s been reading the journal and he wants to see some of the creatures it describes and has a few theories about The Author. He’s got one that Stan is The Author but Mabel doubts it.

_ Oh. How long until you’re here?  _ Pacifica asks. Mabel frowns and Dipper sends her a questioning look that she ignores. Pacifica’s usually more excited when they talk.

_ A week. Dipper and I have finals. Are you okay? _ Mabel asks and Pacifica is glad that Mabel can’t see her face.

_ I’m fine, just tired. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. _ Pacifica sends the message and waits for Mabel to respond.

_ Okay. Sweet dreams, Paz. _ Mabel sends the text with a smile. Pacifica bites her lip. Time to do damage control and get her shit together.


	2. Chapter 2

Grunkle Stan is happy too see them, in his own grumpy way. Dipper wonders if their parents have ever spent more than five minutes in Gravity Falls as they drive away. Candy and Grenda are coming by tomorrow to have breakfast and catch up. Mabel’s talked to them since she left last summer, but she’s excited to see them in person.

“Soos!” They shout and Grunkle Stan smiles.

“Figured you’d want to see him too,” Stan says.

* * *

 

They’re back in the attic, stuffed from dinner. 

“Hey Dipper?” Mabel asks, looking at the ceiling.

“Yeah?” Dipper wonders, turning his head to look at her.

“I think I might try to see Pacifica tomorrow. Just to say hey or something, you know?” Mabel says and Dipper sighs in the near silence. The Mystery Shack makes its own creaks, groans and aches of being old.

“Just be careful okay? I don’t want you to get hurt,” Dipper says and Mabel turns her head to look at him.

“If I get hurt, I get hurt. And then I’ll eat some ice cream with a lot of sprinkles. I’m not gonna avoid doing something or talking to someone because it might cause me pain. Especially not Pacifica,” Mabel says carefully.


	3. Morning

Candy and Grenda pick Mabel up for breakfast when Dipper’s still on his first cup of coffee, not quite awake or aware yet. Candy smiles at him and he rubs at his eyes and gives her a small wave of acknowledgement. Grenda nudges her and Mabel tells them she’s ready to go. Stan’s sleeping in, it’s too early for the Mystery Shack to be open, so why Mabel’s going out to breakfast at the ungodly early hour is beyond Dipper. He’s only up because Mabel woke him up on accident and he couldn’t go back to sleep.

“Bye Dipper!” Mabel says and Candy and Grenda say that too, but Candy glances at him again before they’re out the door.

Dipper briefly wonders what school’s like in Gravity Falls, if it’s pretty standard or weird like everything else. He pours himself another cup of coffee and rereads the page on the creature he’s been trying to read since he got up.

* * *

 

“My brother? Dipper?” Mabel raises an eyebrow.

“We don’t know anyone named Dipper,” Grenda says and Candy nods.

“He’s cute. But it’s just a crush. We want details! How have you been?” Candy asks and Lazy Susan arrives with a few hot plates of breakfast. Mabel begins to update them on everything, throwing in details about Dipper and home. She feels almost guilty that she doesn’t mention Pacifica but it’s not a big deal, she’ll just tell them another time. Mabel takes in the smell of the diner, grease and sugar, coffee and cleaner, her memory hadn’t done it justice. It’s good to be back. Really good.

* * *

 

The text from Mabel beeps, interrupting her thoughts. Mabel’s not the only one who texts her, but Mabel’s the only one she’s genuine with.

The girls from school she  _ has _ to keep up with play the game of school politics and popularity, but fake friends are better than no friends at all. 

_ Hey, do you wanna hang today? _ The text asks. Pacifica looks at her laptop and then to her door. Her parents are out of town for the next week.

_Yeah. I can pick you up_ _if you want._ Pacifica sends the text and waits.

_ I can drive over. See you in ten? _ Mabel asks and Mabifica smiles. The smile fades as her thoughts drift away from Mabel though.


	4. Lilo and Stitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LILO AND STITCH IS ON NETFLIX!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lilo and Stitch is on Netflix. So this chapter happened.

Pacifica’s waiting at the front door and after talking to to her for months, Mabel manages to walk at an almost normal pace before she launches herself at Pacifica. It’s a hug and Pacifica tenses uncomfortably. Mabel lets go, looks at her friend with concern.

“Are you okay? Is everything okay?” Mabel asks, big eyes and concern in her voice. Pacifica feels like she’s trying to make first contact with an alien, Mabel is similar but strange and unpredictable.

“I just don’t hug. I haven’t had a lot of them, I guess. I’m happy to see you,” Pacifica says and it’s genuine, but there isn’t the excitement Mabel had hoped for.

“I’m happy to see you too. You’re my friend and I love you. Are your parents home?” Mabel asks and Pacifica shakes her head.

“They’re out of town for the week,” Pacifica says and Mabel frowns at that.

“Do they do that a lot?” Mabel asks.

“It’s fine. I barely know when they’re here anyway,” Pacifica says and ignores Mabel’s worried look as she shuts the front door.

“What do you want to do?” Pacifica asks. She’s seen this in movies and of course she’s had friends over in her room at boarding school. Mabel though, Mabel’s different and she always has been. Mabel’s not a predictable girl in designer clothes who probably can’t stand her as they fake conversation. Mabel’s real and nice, and she keeps looking at her like she cares. Mabel does care, and that sets her a mile apart from the rest.

“Is that a-is that ivory?” Mabel asks and Pacifica nods. The chunk of white on the mantle place looks like someone made it a decoration.

“It’s a carved elephant horn. It’s been in our family for over a century,  _ before _ the ivory trade became illegal,” Pacifica says and Mabel looks at it, pristine like the rest of the room. It takes a while to get to Pacifica’s room, and Mabel takes it all in.  The walls are pink and the entire room looks pristine, like someone just arranged the room for the magazine. There’s a cabinet of just medals and trophies, carefully arranged. Mabel wonders if she enjoyed winning them or if she had to.

“Did you see that they have the Lilo and Stitch movies on Netflix?” Mabel asks and Pacifica shakes her head.

“What is that?” Pacifica asks and Mabel stares at her.

_ “You’ve never seen Lilo and Stitch?”  _  Mabel asks and Pacifica shakes her head.

“It’s one of the best Disney movies. We have to watch it. Right now,” Mabel insists and Pacifica turns on her TV and lets Mabel find it on Netflix, curious to what it is. If it’s a TV series they should probably get snacks before they commit to at least five hours of marathoning.

“It’s a movie. Technically there’s two and a TV show but you have to watch the first movie for it to many sense,” Mabel says and selects the movie. Pacifica watches Mabel grin as they settle on Pacifica’s couch and the movie begins to play. She didn’t have a solid plan and a movie means they won’t have to talk very much. Pacifica can ignore her awkwardness and try to schedule seeing Mabel again before she leaves. She wants to see Mabel again and maybe she can keep her secrets to herself and survive the summer. Maybe she can just have this summer and then try her best to leave Gravity Falls and everyone in it behind.


	5. Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of thoughts and recipe ideas for Mabel juice. So it's in this chapter. Kudos to anyone who gets the Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated reference in this chapter.

“Mabel, I need your help tonight,” Dipper begins. Mabel shakes her head.

“I’m tired. Candy and Grenda wore me out and Paz wants me to hang with her until I have to work,” Mabel sighs and Dipper nods, like he’s taking in the news.

“Okay. I guess I’ll have to find this glitter monster all by myself, then,” Dipper says and Mabel’s eyes widen.

“I’ll go. I’ve got to see this for myself,” Mabel says and opens the fridge. Dipper watches her take a swig of mabel juice, glittering and purple this time.

“Why’s it purple?” Dipper asks and Mabel takes another sip before she snaps the lid back on the water bottle.

“I added some dinosaur multivitamins. They turned it purple,” Mabel shrugs and Dipper shakes his head. He’s never stayed to actually  _ watch _ Mabel make her Mabel Juice. He’s not sure if he’d actually be able to stand to watch- he’s pretty sure he sees a plastic flower or two shine in the light of the fridge as Mabel shuts the door.

“Let’s go,” Mabel grins. Dipper grabs his journal, carefully adjusted to look like the other journal he found in Gravity Falls- down to the slight wear and tear. He might as well follow in the author’s footsteps and make his own notes on things the author didn’t see. Dipper opens the door as Mabel grabs her backpack, always ready to go on an adventure somewhere. Last time he asked, Mabel told him she had money, glitter, water, food, a portable charger for her phone, a mirror, a pink pocketknife and a full book of stickers.

“What do you think it is? Can we take it home if it’s little enough?” Mabel asks as they leave the safety of the Mystery Shack, disappearing into the trees.

“It could be a wild animal. Or a sentient being that doesn’t want to live with us. Let’s get proof it exists before we get that far,” Dipper reminds her and a few sticks crunch under their feet as they make their way deeper into the dark forest. Mabel follows, careful to avoid low branches and bugs.

“So. Pacifica,” Dipper says and Mabel waits for him to continue his thought. He looks to her and she realizes that’s all he’s going to say.

“Is my friend. That’s it. She’s nice and you already know she apologized about last summer,” Mabel says and Dipper bites his lip.

“I just want you to be careful,” Dipper says and lets it go. There’s golden glitter on the ground that Dipper’s flashlight catches.

“I’m going to take a picture,” Dipper says and Mabel waits for him to take the picture with his phone before she scoops some of the glitter into a jar before she slips the jar back into her backpack. Only Mabel, Dipper thinks.

“I think I see it,” Dipper whispers and Mabel freezes.

“Is that a-bear?” Mabel whispers back and it turns.

“I think it’s an-abominable snowman. What the fuck,” Dipper  whispers softly as it comes into view.

"It's fucking summer, what the hell?" Dipper asks Mabel who stares at it with wide eyes.

It’s a rainbow yeti. Dipper tries to take a picture without flash, hoping the moon is bright enough to capture it. The yeti rubs against a tree and it sparkles blue and purple, like the fur on its side. They shift to get a closer view, and the yeti hears an owl hoot. The twins hold their breath and it runs away, too quick to follow.

“Wow,” Mabel says and moves to scoop more of the glitter into a different jar.

“That was unexpected, even for here, the home of weird,” Dipper says lightly, looking to Mabel. Mabel is thrilled, done scoping glitter into the second jar.

“It’s full of glitter. I wish I glittered naturally,” Mabel sighs wistfully and Dipper laughs.

“People would think you’re trying to be a vampire from those Dusk movies,” Dipper points out and Mabel shrugs.

“Glitter is universal, Dipper. If I could glitter naturally, I would,” Mabel says and he persuades her to stay out for another hour. Surely she’ll get enough sleep to do breakfast with Paz, and Dipper looks too excited for her to say no.


End file.
